Arcuate blade probe

ABSTRACT

An arcuate blade probe is disclosed. The arcuate blade probe includes a shaft with a pair of faces that converge towards each other along a probe axis and terminate at a single edge that includes an arcuate profile. The arcuate profile provides a surface that makes an electrical connection between the edge and a node to be probed. The connection can be made along at least one portion of the edge. The edge can be used to probe lead-based and lead-free solder on the pads of vias and test pads. The arcuate profile give the edge a gradual arc that does not come to a sharp point so that the edge can probe vias with plugged holes.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of patent application Ser. No. 11/112,279, filed Mar. 3, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an arcuate blade probe. More specifically, the present invention relates to an arcuate blade probe including an edge with an arcuate profile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Printed circuit assemblies (PCA's), such as printed circuit boards (PCB's) that include electronic components soldered to the PCB, are used in a majority of electronic products. Those products include consumer electronics products such as personal computers, laptop computers, hard disc drives, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), digital music players, and video display and playback systems, just to name a few. Contact repeatability failures during an in-circuit-test (ICT) of the PCA's is one factor that effects a manufacturing cost and a reliability of electronic products.

The contact repeatability failures are due to probes (also called plungers) that are connected with a test fixture that is positioned relative to the PCA so that a tip of the probe contacts a test point on the PCA. Typically, the test point is a test pad, a through hole via, or a blind via connected with the PCA. For economic and environmental reasons, a no-clean manufacturing process is preferred to assemble PCAs during which paste is applied to test vias or test pads with a lead-based or lead-free solder paste. After the pasting, the solder paste is heated to reflow the solder paste so that a solder component of the paste wets a pad surface of the via or test pad. The reflowing also causes a flux component of the paste to be released. The resulting flux pools in the via holes or in an areas surrounding the test via pads can result in the aforementioned contact repeatability failures by preventing the test probe from making electrical contact with the via.

For example, in the case of a via, during reflow, a portion of the solder wets a pad of the via and another portion of the solder flows into a hole of the via and partially or completely fills the hole. Additionally, the flux also flows into the hole and pools on top of the solder. As a result, the hole is clogged by the flux/solder and the clog can be partially recessed below a level of the pad, can be flush with the pad, or can extend above the level of the pad. During ICT when the probe on the test fixture is urged into contact with the via in order to electrically contact the solder on the pad, a plunger tip of the probe cannot enter into the hole due to the clogging. Consequently, an electrical contact between the probe and the solder is prevented and the ICT may indicate that the unit-under-test (UUT) is defective because of a contact failure between the probe and the via. Examples of prior plunger tip styles that may not reliably contact the solder on the test point include single needle tips, headed and headless, chisel tips, spear tips, star tips, multi-sided arrowhead tips, and multi-pointed crown and tulip tips, just to name a few.

The economic impact of contact repeatability failures include passing bad boards, rejecting or discarding good boards, down time necessary to troubleshoot the test fixture or the UUT, increase warranty cost due to product failures in the field, unhappy consumers who purchase defective products, and loss of goodwill and brand loyalty due to defective products.

Prior solutions to the contact repeatability failures include not pasting the pads for lead-based processes that use a hot air solder leveling finish (HASL). finishes such as ENIG and electrolytic nickel-gold (Ni/Au) can be used, but those finishes increase production costs and risk some intermetallic reliability issues. Immersion silver (Ag) is not as costly as ENIG or electrolytic Ni/Au but can result in reliability issues, whisker growth and solderability issues. Similarly, an immersion tin (Sn) finish poses a high risk of whisker growth and reliability issues. Another solution is solder paste overprinting; however, the overprinting requires the use of microvias which create problems of their own and can result in solder bleeding to the other side of the PCB creating an obstruction for pasting and loading components on the opposite side of the PCB. Finally, one solution includes wave soldering the test points along with other through hole components on the PCB. However, wave soldering solution is not suitable for all applications.

Of all of the aforementioned solutions, an organic solderability preservative (OSP) finish is the lowest cost and currently most reliable finish. OSP's are applied to a bare surface of a conductor (e.g. a copper trace or pad) on a PCB. The OSP's are applied after the PCB is manufactured to prevent oxidation of the copper conductors while the PCB awaits the assembly process where the solder paste is applied, components are loaded on the PCB, and the PCB is reflowed. By preventing oxidation of the copper, the OSP's ensure the solderability of the PCB.. In general, all test points (e.g. vias or test pads) are more probable (i.e. have better contact reliability) when pasted and then reflowed so that the solder wets the surface of the pad.

Screen printing with no-clean lead-free solder paste which has a higher flux content results in flux pools and contamination. Consequently, plunger tips with multiple points become clogged by the high no-clean flux residue of the solder. Moreover, the high no-clean flux residue contaminates the pad or via so that electrical continuity cannot be established between the plunger tip and the UUT. Plunger tips with multiple points or edges can exasperate the contact reliability problem because a contact pressure of the plunger tip with the pad is a force being applied by the tip (usually via a helical coil spring) divided by a contact area of the tip with the pad. The contact area increases with the number of points/edges in contact with the pad and reduces the contact pressure. As a result, a pressure necessary to cut through the contamination on the pad is reduced and the plunger tip does not make an electrical contact with the solder on the pad.

Consequently, there is a need for a probe that includes a tip that overcomes the problems created by OSP's and a no-clean high flux content solder pasting process. There is also a need for a probe tip that reduces the number of edges that come into contact with a solder on a pad so that contact pressure is not compromised, and that also minimizes the risk of making contact with adjacent circuits if misaligned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An arcuate blade probe for probing a node of a circuit includes a shaft made from an electrically conductive material. The shaft includes a pair of faces that are positioned about a probe axis in facing opposition to each other. The faces converge towards each other along the probe axis at a face angle and terminate at an edge. The edge includes an arcuate profile. When the edge and the node are urged into contact with each other, the edge makes a contact with the node along one portion of the edge or along two portions of the edge.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a face view of an arcuate blade probe with an edge including an elliptical profile.

FIG. 2 depicts a face view of an arcuate blade probe with an edge including a circular profile.

FIG. 3 a depicts a side angle view of an arcuate blade probe.

FIGS. 3 b and 3 c depict a face view and a side view respectively of an arcuate blade probe.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b depict a face view and a side view respectively of a headed arcuate blade probe.

FIG. 5 a depicts an edge end view of the arcuate blade probes depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 b depicts an edge view of the arcuate blade probe depicted in FIG. 4 a.

FIG. 5 c depicts an edge view of the arcuate blade probe depicted in FIG. 3 b.

FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 6 c are side angle views depicting examples of a side angle view for an arcuate blade probe.

FIG. 6 d depicts examples of an arcuate taper and an angular taper for a shaft of an arcuate blade probe.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are top plan and cross-sectional views respectively of a board substrate including a via and a test pad.

FIGS. 7 c and 7 d are top plan views depicting a pad of a via and a test pad respectively.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b are top plan and cross-sectional views respectively of a stencil for applying a solder paste to a pad. pad of a via.

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are top plan views depicting solder paste applied to a pad of a via and a test pad respectively.

FIGS. 11 a and 11 b are cross-sectional views of through hole vias including solder and flux plugging a hole of the via after a reflow process.

FIG. 11 c is a cross-sectional view depicting a test pad with solder disposed thereon after a reflow process.

FIG. 11 d depicts an edge end view of an arcuate blade probe with a tapered portion having a dimension that is smaller than a dimension of a shaft.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b depict an edge face view and a side angle view respectively of an arcuate blade probe probing solder disposed on a pad of a via.

FIG. 12 c depicts a test pad being probed by an arcuate blade probe.

FIGS. 13 a and 13 b depict an arcuate blade probe with two portions of an edge in contact with solder on a pad of a via.

FIG. 13 c depicts an arcuate blade probe with one portion of an edge in contact with solder on a pad of a via.

FIG. 14 a and 14 b depict an arcuate blade probe with one portion of an edge in contact with solder on a test pad.

FIG. 14 c depicts a shaft of an arcuate blade probe that includes a plunger body and a plunger tail.

FIG. 14 d is a cross-sectional view depicting a barrel and an arcuate blade

FIG. 14 e is a cross-sectional view depicting a barrel inserted into a receptacle.

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b are a top plan view and a cross-sectional view depicting a stencil including a pattern that includes a shield and a plurality of apertures.

FIG. 16 a is a top plan view depicting a hole of a via and a first portion of a pad of the via covered by a shield of a pattern and a second portion of a pad covered by an aperture of the pattern.

FIG. 16 b is a top plan view depicting dimensional relationships between a pattern and a via.

FIG. 17 a is a cross-sectional view depicting an applying of a lead-free solder paste to a pad of a via through the apertures of a stencil.

FIG. 17 b is a top plan view depicting a lead-free solder paste applied to a second portion of a pad of a via.

FIG. 17 c is a top plan view depicting a lead-free solder connected with a second portion of a pad of a via after a reflowing process.

FIG. 18 a is a top plan view depicting a preferred orientation of an edge of an arcuate blade probe relative to a lead-free solder on a pad of a via.

FIG. 18 b is a top plan view depicting an alternative orientation of an edge of an arcuate blade probe relative to a lead-free solder on a pad of a via.

FIGS. 19 a through 19 c depict one example of a structure for connecting an arcuate blade probe with a barrel with an axis of an edge disposed in a preferred orientation.

FIG. 19 d depicts one example of a structure for connecting a barrel with a receptacle with an axis of an edge disposed in a preferred orientation.

FIG. 20 is a top plan view depicting a receptacle connected with a test fixture with an axis of an edge of arcuate blade probe disposed in a preferred orientation.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a test fixture aligned with a board substrate with an edge of an arcuate blade probe in contact with a node.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description and in the several figures of the drawings, like elements are identified with like reference numerals.

As shown in the drawings for purpose of illustration, the present invention is embodied in an arcuate blade probe for probing a node of a circuit. The arcuate blade probe includes a shaft made from an electrically conductive material. The shaft includes a pair of faces that are symmetrically positioned about a probe axis in facing opposition to each other. The faces converge towards each other along the probe axis at a face angle and terminate at an edge. The edge includes an arcuate profile and the edge is aligned with the probe axis. When the edge and the node are urged into contact with each other, the edge makes a contact with the node along a portion or portions of the edge.

The arcuate blade probe makes contact with the node at any portion or portions along the edge when the probe and the node are urged into contact with each other. Pressure at the portions of contact is higher than if the edge was a straight edge. Additionally, the arcuate edge avoids the flux and contamination which prevents pointed tips from making contact with the node. The arcuate profile of the edge is useful for electrically probing a variety of node types, such as test pads, through hole vias, and blind vias that have been pasted with lead-based or lead-free solder.

The face angle and the contact pressure where the edge makes contact with the node allow the edge to penetrate contaminants that cover solder on the node so that a good electrical contact is made between the arcuate blade probe and the node. Moreover, the face angle and the arcuate profile reduce build up of contamination on the edge that can result in contact repeatability problems and down time for cleaning or replacing probes. Unlike prior plunger tips that include sharp points that contact the flux that plugs a hole of a via and therefore doesn't make an electrical contact with the node, the arcuate profile of the edge provides a surface without sharp protrusions so that one or two portions of the edge make contact only with the solder on the node.

a. An Arcuate Blade Probe

Referring to FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 5 a, and 6 c an arcuate blade probe 10 includes a shaft 11 and a pair of faces 13 that are preferably symmetrically positioned about a probe axis A_(P). The faces 13 are positioned in facing opposition to each other and the faces 13 converge towards each other along the probe axis A_(P) at a face angle θ and terminate at an edge 15. That is, the faces 13 converge to form a single edge 15. The edge 15 is preferably aligned with the probe axis A_(P) so that in FIG. 6 c the probe axis A_(P) passes through a vertex where the two faces 13 converge at the edge 15. In FIG. 3 b, the edge 15 includes an arcuate profile. The arcuate profile can include but is not limited to a circular profile, an elliptical profile, an oval profile, any curved function or a combination of any of these. In FIG. 3 b, the arcuate profile is an elliptical profile because the profile of the edge 15 traces a portion of an ellipse as denoted by an elliptical dashed line 12 e.

The arcuate blade probe 10 can be made from an electrically conductive material including but not limited to brass, copper, beryllium copper, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Those materials may optionally be gold (Au) or other plated. The shaft 11 can have a circular cross-section as depicted in FIG. 5 c, where the view is looking into the edge 15 with the probe axis A_(P) pointing out of the drawing sheet. The arcuate profile of the edge 15 can span an entire diameter d_(S) of the shaft 11 when the shaft 11 has the circular cross-section. An edge axis A_(E) is colinear with the edge 15. The edge 15 has a width W_(e), which can be the same as the diameter d_(S).

A section 14 of FIG. 3 c is depicted in greater detail in FIG. 6 c. The face angle θ will be application specific and will depend an several factors including but not limited to the diameter d_(S) of the shaft 11, the type of node being probed (e.g. a via or a test pad), and the material of the shaft 11. Preferably, the face angle θ is in a range from about 10.0 degrees to about 35.0 degrees. The arcuate profile for the edge 15 and the face angle θ can be formed using manufacturing processes that are well understood in the probe art and include but are not limited to machining, milling, grinding, stamping, casting, molding, sharpening and polishing.

b. An Arcuate Blade Probe with a Tapered Shaft

Turning to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 a, 5 a, 6 a, and 11 d the shaft 11 can include a portion 11 t that tapers (i.e. reduces in dimension) in a direction towards the edge 15. The portion 11 t includes the faces 13 and the edge 15. In FIG. 6 d, the tapering to portion 11 t can include an arcuate profile (see dashed line 11 c), an angular profile (see dashed line 11 a), a stepped profile (not shown) or a combination of these(not shown). In FIG. 5 a, the portion 11 t is depicted in a view looking into the edge 15 with the probe axis A_(P) pointing out of the drawing sheet. The taper of the portion 11 t eventually blends into the faces 13 which in turn terminate at the edge 15. Although the shaft 11 is depicted having a circular cross-section, the portion 11 t may include a circular cross-section like the shaft 11 or a non-circular cross-section. A section I-I of FIG. 3 a is depicted in greater detail in FIG. 6 a, where the face angle θ can be in the same range as was describe above. Moreover, the shaft 11 can be made from the same materials as set forth above. The taper in the portion 11 t can be selected to reduce the dimension of the shaft 11 so that the arcuate blade probe 10 can be used to probe small vias or the like. The taper portion can also be stepped as shown in FIG. 11 d. Preferably, the tapering of the shaft should be gradual, so that collection of residue is minimized by facilitating a self-cleaning action

The arcuate profile of the edge 15 can have an elliptical profile (see 12 e in FIG. 1) or a circular profile (see 12 c in FIG. 2). Although not depicted in FIGS. 1 or 2, the arcuate profile can also be an oval profile, or any combination of elliptical, circular, oval or other curved function profiles. Referring to FIG. 1, for the elliptical profile 12 e, a major diameter d₁ of the ellipse is preferably greater than the diameter d_(S) of the shaft 11 and a minor diameter d₂ of the ellipse may be less than, equal to, or greater than the diameter d_(S) of the shaft 11. Similarly, in FIG. 2, a diameter d_(C) of the circular profile 12 c is preferably greater than the diameter d_(S) of the shaft 11. Here, the edge width W_(e), is shown to be the same as the diameter d_(S).

c. A Headed Arcuate Blade Probe

In FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, 5 b, and 6 b, the shaft 11 includes a head 17. The head 17 has a dimension d_(h) that is greater than the dimension d_(S) of the shaft 11. If the shaft 11 and the head 17 have circular cross-sections, then the dimensions d_(S) and d_(h) can be the diameters of the shaft 11 and the head 17 respectively. A portion of the head 17 tapers in a direction towards the edge 15 and the head 17 includes the faces 13 and the edge 15. The taper in a circular cross-section head (not shown) can have an arcuate profile, an angular profile, or a combination of arcuate and angular profiles as depicted in FIG. 6 b and FIG. 6 d). The edge 15 can include the circular, elliptical, and oval profiles, or any combination of curved profiles as previously described above. The head may also have a rectangular cross-section as depicted in FIG. 4 b and 5 b with faces parallel to each other, which in turn taper on faces 13 towards the arcuate blade edge 15. In FIG. 5 b, the dashed line for the shaft 11 depicts the smaller dimension d_(S) of the shaft 11 relative to the dimension d_(H) of the head 17. A section II-II of FIG. 4 b is depicted in greater detail in FIG. 6 c, where the face angle θ can be in the same range as was described above. Moreover, the shaft 11 and the head 17 can be made from the same materials as set forth above. The head 17 can be useful for probing nodes that are larger in dimension than the dimension d_(S) of the shaft 11. The rectangular head 17 may be attached symmetrically on a common axis to the shaft 11 on one end, and forming the arcuate edge at the other end.

d. Probing of Nodes

In FIGS. 7 a and 7 b a substrate 21 includes nodes 100 and 200. The substrate 21 can be a printed circuit board (PCB) or a printed circuit assembly (PCA). The node 100 is a through hole via that includes a pad 120, a hole 130 with an interior surface 130 s that terminates at a rim 130 r and an exterior surface 115. Although not depicted, those skilled in the electronics art will appreciate that the interior and exterior surfaces (130 s, 115) can be in contact with conductive traces positioned at various levels within a thickness t of the substrate 21. The node 200 is a test pad that includes a pad surface 200 s. A conductive trace 225 is in contact with the node 200. One skilled in the electronics art will also appreciate that the nodes (100, 200) may be in electrical communication with components that are connected with the substrate 21 and that the electrical communication can be established through the aforementioned traces. The type of nodes that can be probed by the arcuate blade probe 10 are not limited to those depicted herein. For example, the node 100 can be a blind via in which the hole 130 does not extend through both sides (21 t, 21 b) of the substrate 21. Hereinafter, the node 100 will be referred to as the via 100 and the node 200 will be referred to as the test pad 200.

In FIG. 7 c, the pad 120 of the via 100 includes a via diameter d_(V), a hole diameter d_(H), and a pad width W_(P) as measured from an edge 120 e of the pad 120 to the rim 130 r of the hole 130. On the other hand, in FIG. 7 d, the test pad 200 includes a width W_(T) and a height H_(T). Those dimensions are relevant in determining the dimensions of the arcuate blade probe 10 that are suitable for probing a particular node.

For instance, it is preferable in the case of the via 100, that the dimension width We of the edge 15 be about that of the via diameter d_(V) and always larger than the hole diameter d_(H) by at least 10 mils and more preferably by 20 mils as an extra precaution to ensure that the edge 15 does not fit into the hole 130. Moreover, a finished hole size (FHS) of the diameter d_(H) should be used as the starting point for determining how to appropriately size the dimension width W_(e) of the edge 15. Although vias can be made to any desired size, typical via sizes for through hole or blind vias found in current PCB's and PCA's can have a via diameter d_(V) in a range from about 25 mils to about 50 mils and a FHS diameter d_(H) in a range from about 10 mils to about 20 mils.

As one example, for a via 100 with a diameter d_(V) of 40 mils and a FHS diameter d_(H) of 18 mils, a suitable dimension width W_(e) of the edge 15 is in a range from about 28 mils to about 50 mils. As another example, for a via 100 with a diameter d_(V) of 28 mils and a FHS diameter d_(H) of 10 mils, a suitable dimension width W_(e) of the edge 15 is in a range from about 20 mils to about 40 mils. The above examples apply when the dimension for the edge 15 as measured along the edge 15 is d_(S) (see d_(S) in FIG. 5 c). However, when the shaft 11 tapers to the portion 11 t, it is possible for a length of the edge 15 to be less than d_(S) as is depicted in FIG. 11 d where a dimension d_(T) of the portion 11 t is less than the dimension d_(S). Therefore, the dimension d_(T) should be selected so that it is greater than the FHS of the hole 130 by an appropriate amount (e.g. by 5 to 30 mils).

As yet another example, for a test pad 200 with a width W_(T) of 50 mils and a height H_(T) 50 mils, a suitable dimension We for the edge 15 would be in a range from about 30 mils to about 60 mils. As will be described below, after the test pad 200 is pasted and reflowed, the solder wetting the surface 200 s may not cover the entire surface 200 s; therefore, selecting the dimension W_(e) to be about or equal to the smaller of W_(T) or H_(T) will ensure that the edge 15 is sufficiently wide along the edge axis A_(E) to probe the solder.

Referring to FIGS. 8 a through 11 c, one skilled in the electronics art will appreciate that vias, test pads, and the like are screen printed through a stencil with a solder paste to print the paste on the pads in preparation for a solder reflowing process. Accordingly, in FIGS. 8 a and 8 b a stencil 70 includes an aperture 71 that has a diameter d_(A) that is sized to approximately the diameter d_(S) of the via 100 or to be approximately the dimensions W_(T) and/or H_(T) of the test pad 200. In FIG. 9, the stencil 70 is positioned in contact with the substrate 21 so that the aperture 71 is positioned over the pad 120 of the via 100 and a solder paste 60 is printed on the pad 120 using a blade 69 that moves M across the stencil 70 to squeeze S the solder paste 60 through the aperture 71 and onto the pad 120. The solder paste 60 can be a lead-based solder paste or a lead-free solder paste. After the pasting process, in FIGS. 10 a and 10 b, the pad 120 of the via 100 is covered with the solder paste 60 and a portion of the surface 200 s of the test pad 200 is covered with the paste 60. Heat H is applied to the paste 60 to reflow the paste so that a solder component of the paste 60 wets the pad 120 or the surface 200 s. A flux component of the paste is also released by the reflowing process.

After the reflowing, in FIGS. 11 a and 11 b, a solder 60 s from the paste 60 wets the pad 120 and a portion of the solder 60 s flows into the hole 130 and partially fills up the hole 130. Additionally, a flux 60f released by the reflowing process, pools on top of the solder 60 s. The flux 60 f may be flush with the rim 130 r as shown in FIG. 11 b, be recessed below the rim (not shown), or may extend above the rim 130 r as depicted in FIG. 11 a. The solder 60 s may wet the pad 120 all the way to its edge (see FIG. 11 a) or the solder 60 s may be inset from the edge (see FIG. 11 b). For the test pad 200, the result of reflowing is that the solder 60 s wets the surface 200 s, but because there is no hole 130 to fill up, excess solder 60 s and flux 60 f flow off of the surface 200 s and onto an area surrounding the test pad 200 on the substrate 21. The excess solder 60 s and flux 60 f can accumulate in quantities sufficient to make contact with prior plunger tips and can result in the tip becoming contaminated and can block contact between the tip and the solder 60 s on the surface 200 s. In either case, contact reliability can be compromised.

For the aforementioned prior plunger tips that rely on the tip to penetrate into the hole 130 so that a surface of the plunger tip can contact the solder 60 s of the via 100, the plugging up of the hole 130 by the solder 60 s and the flux 60 f can lead to contact reliability problems because the tip cannot penetrate into the flux 60 f in the hole 130; therefore, the surfaces of the plunger tip cannot make contact with the solder 60 s on the rim 130 r. As a result, there is no electrical continuity between the prior probe and the node to be probed. Moreover, repeated contact between the plunger tip and the flux 60 f can cause the flux 60 f to accumulate on the plunger tip and contaminate the tip. The contamination can act like an insulating material that prevents electrical communication between the prior probe and the via 100.

In FIGS. 12 a through 12 c, the arcuate profile of the edge 15 of the arcuate blade probe 10 can contact the solder 60 s on the pad 120 or the surface 200 s without being disturbed by pooled flux 60 f and solder 60 s in the hole 130 or by excess solder 60 s and flux 60 f that accumulate around the test pad 200, or the via 100.

e. Contact between the Edge and the Node

In FIG. 13 a, a contact between the edge 15 and the solder 60 s on the pad 120 of the via 100 is depicted in greater detail. The solder 60 s wets the pad 120 and abuts with the rim 130 r of the hole 130. Additionally, solder 60 s and flux 60 f plug the hole 130. When the arcuate blade probe 10 and the via 100 are urged into contact with each other, the edge 15 makes a contact C with the solder 60 s at two portions along the edge 15 such that the arcuate blade probe 10 and the via 100 are in electrical communication with each other. Even though the flux 60 f extends outward of the hole 130 and above the rim 130 r, the arcuate profile of the edge 15 doesn't make contact with the flux 60f. Consequently, a potential for the flux 60 f to accumulate on the edge 15 or the faces 13 is significantly reduced; thereby, reducing one possible source of contact reliability failure for the arcuate blade probe 10. This can be further ensured if the printed paste to the hole volume ration is kept below a certain ratio. For example, for lead free-solder, the solder to hole volume ratio is kept to 30% or less after reflow.

Referring now to FIG. 13 b, the contact C between the edge 15 and the solder 60 s can occur at two portions along the edge 15 even when the solder 60 s is inset from the edge of the pad 120 by a distance d_(i). The point of contact C along the edge 15 is slightly further out than was the case where the solder 60 s extended all the way to the rim 130 r in FIG. 13 a. Therefore, another advantage to the arcuate blade probe 10 is that a reliable electrical connection between the node and the edge 15 can be made even when the solder 60 s does not wet an entirety of the pad 120 and/or does not extend all the way to the rim 130 r, or edge of the pad 120.

In FIG. 13 a, the probe axis A_(P) and a via axis A_(V) are aligned with each other such that the arcuate blade probe 10 is substantially centered on a bore of the hole 130 of the via 100. In contrast, in FIG. 13 c, the axes (A_(P), A_(V)) are not aligned with each other and the probe axis A_(P) is offset to the right of the via axis A_(V) by a distance do. However, even with the axes non-aligned, the edge 15 makes a contact C with the solder 60 s at one portion along the edge 15 such that the arcuate blade probe 10 and the via 100 are in electrical communication with each other even though another portion of the edge 15 is not in contact with the solder 60 s (see NC in FIG. 13 c).

The blade probe 10 can also compensate if the misalignment is not along the edge 15 of the blades. For example, if the misalignment is perpendicular to the edge of the blade probe 10, the edge 15 makes contact at two points which are increasingly closer to each other until the blade is tangential to the rim of the via 100. At that point the blade still makes contact across the with of the flange.

Turning now to FIGS. 14 a and 14 b, in the case of the test pad 200, the edge 15 makes a contact C with the solder 60 s when the probe axis A_(P) and a node axis A_(N) are aligned with each other as depicted in FIG. 14 a. However, the contact C with the solder 60 s is also made when the probe axis A_(P) and the node axis A_(N) are not aligned with each other as depicted in FIG. 14 b, where the probe axis A_(P) is offset to the right of the node axis A_(N) by a distance d_(O). Therefore, the arcuate profile of the edge 15 allows for some misalignment error between the node to be probed and the arcuate blade probe 10 while still effectuating an electrical connection with the solder 60 s connected with the node. Misalignment perpendicular to the edge 15 will also work.

f. Plunger, Barrels, and Receptacles

The probe shaft 11 can be shaped to be received and retained in a barrel as is well understood in the electronics art. Accordingly, in FIG. 14 c, the shaft 11 can include a plunger body 11 r that includes a dimension d_(R) that is less than the dimension d_(S) of the shaft 11. If the shaft 11 is circular in cross-section, then the dimension d_(R) can be a reduced diameter section of the shaft 11. The shaft 11 also includes a plunger tail 11 p that is connected with the plunger body 11 r. The plunger tail 11 p can include a portion 11 f that is adapted to engage a spring as will be described below.

In FIG. 14 d, a barrel 72 includes a cavity 78 adapted to receive the shaft 11 and a spring 76 positioned in the cavity 78 and in contact with the plunger tail 11 p. The barrel 72 also includes a structure 74 that retains the shaft 11 in the cavity 78 with the spring 76 compressed and in contact with the plunger tail 11 p. There are several means for implementing the structure 74 For example, the shaft 11 can be inserted into the cavity 78 to compress the spring 76 and the barrel 72 can be intentionally deformed (i.e. crimped) so that the structure 74 reduces a dimension d_(B) of the barrel 72 in the region proximate the plunger body 11 r so that the plunger tail 11 p is in contact with and is captured by the structure 74 and the shaft 11 is retained in the barrel with the spring 76 in compression and in contact with the plunger tail 11 p. The portion 11 f can be flat in order to provide a planar surface for the spring 76 to engage with. The dimension d_(B) is selected so that the dimension d_(S) of the shaft 11 will fit into the cavity 78 without binding and the shaft 11 can move up and down in the cavity 78 when the edge 15 is urged into contact with a node.

In FIG. 14 e, a receptacle 90 includes a cavity 92 adapted to receive the barrel 72. The receptacle 90 can include a structure 94 that retains the barrel 72 in the cavity 92. As one example, the structure 94 can be a dimple that extends into the cavity 92 and provides a friction fit between the barrel 72 and the receptacle 90 so that the barrel 72 is retained in the cavity 92 but can be removed by applying a force sufficient to pull the barrel 72 out of the receptacle 90. The friction fit can also be used to rotate the barrel 72 in the receptacle 90 so that the edge 15 has a preferred orientation with respect to an axis of a node to be probe by the arcuate blade probe 10 as will be described below. The receptacle 90 is adapted to be connected with a test fixture (not shown). The test fixture can be of the kind used for ICT of PCB's and PCA's. A structure 98 on the receptacle 90 can be used to retain the receptacle 90 in a bore of the test fixture that is adapted to receive the receptacle 90. For example, the structure 98 can provide a friction fit between the bore and the receptacle 90. Moreover, the friction fit can be used to position the edge 15 in the aforementioned preferred orientation by rotating the receptacle 90 in the bore, for example. A section 96 of the receptacle 90 can be used to facilitate a connection of a wire (not shown) to the receptacle 90. The connection of the wire to the section 96 can be accomplished by crimping, wire wrapping, or soldering, for example.

g. Fabricating a Butterfly Pattern of a Lead-Free Solder

Because many countries are mandating by law, the elimination of lead-based solder from electronic products, many manufactures are turning to lead-free solder in the production of the PCB's and PCA's. However, the move to lead-free solder has problems of its own. Particularly, the higher solid_(S) content of the flux used in lead-free solder formulations. Essentially, a lead-free solder paste is reflowed and a higher volume of the flux component of the lead-free solder paste flows into the hole 130 of the via 100 and causes the aforementioned plugging of the hole 130.

One solution to the problems associated with the use of lead-free solder paste is to not over paste the pad 120 of the via 100. Typically, the aperture 71 of the stencil 70 has the diameter d_(R) selected so that the solder paste 60 is applied to an entire surface area of the pad 120 so that the pad 120 is pasted at a ratio of 1:1 or greater than 1:1 (see FIG. 10 a). The over pasting of the pad 120 places more solder 60 s on the pad 120 than is necessary to effectuate a probing of the pad 120 and results in excess flux 60 f flowing into the hole 130 and contributing to the plugging up of the hole 130.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 15 a and 15 b, where a stencil 50 includes a pattern 30 with a plurality of apertures 31 and a shield 33. The apertures 31 extend between a top surface 51 t and a bottom surface 51 b of the shield 50. Although the shield 33 is depicted in hashed outline, the shield 33 can be made from the same material as the stencil 50 and the apertures 31 can be formed using a process such as stamping, cutting, punching, laser cutting, or perforating, for example. An edge 31 e of the apertures 31 that are adjacent to the shield 33 may be aligned with the rim 130 r in the hole 130 as will be described below. The stencil 50 can be made from the same materials that are customarily used for forming stencils for the printing of a lead-free solder paste on the vias and pad_(S) of a PCB or a PCA. The stencil 50 may also include one or more fiducial marks 32 that may be used to facilitate aligning the stencil 50 with the substrate 21 as will be described below.

The shapes of the apertures 31 and the shield 33 will be application specific and are not limited to the rectangular shapes depicted herein. Factors that can determine the shape of the apertures 31 and the shield 33 include but are not limited to a shape of the pad 120, the diameter d_(V) of the via 100, the diameter d_(H) of the hole 130, a surface finish on the pad 120, and a composition of the lead-free solder paste to be printed on the pad 120. A shape of the apertures 31 can include but is not limited to a rectangular shape, an arcuate shape, an angular shape, and a complex shape. Similarly, a shape of the shield 33 can include but is not limited to a rectangular shape, an arcuate shape, an angular shape, and a complex shape. For the discussion that follows, the apertures 31 and the shield 33 will have a rectangular shape.

In FIGS. 15 b, 16 a, and 16 b, the shield 33 can have a width W_(S) that is selected so that when the stencil 50 and the substrate 21 are aligned with each other and are positioned in contact with each other, the shield 33 will be positioned over the hole 130 and the width W_(S) of the shield 33 will cover the hole 130 and a first portion 1 p of the pad 120 as depicted in a dashed outline of the shield 33 in FIG. 16 a. Similarly, the apertures 31 can have a width W_(A) that is selected so that the apertures 31 are positioned over a second portion 2 p of the pad 120 when the substrate 21 and the stencil 50 are aligned and in contact with each other as depicted by the dashed outline of the apertures 31 in FIG. 16 a. In FIGS. 16 a and 16 b, the dashed outlines of the shield 33 and the apertures 31 depict a top view of a relative position of the pattern 30 and the via 100 when the stencil 50 and the substrate 21 are properly aligned with each other and are in contact with each other.

In FIG. 16 b, the width W_(A) of the apertures 31 can be selected so that the width W_(A) is greater than, less than, or equal to the width W_(P) of the pad 120. Similarly, a height H_(A) of the apertures 31 can be selected so that the height H_(A) it is greater than, less than, or equal to the diameter d_(V) of the via 100. The width W_(S) of the shield 33 can be selected so that the width W_(S) is greater than or equal to the diameter d_(V) of the hole 130. The width W_(S) of the shield 33 should be selected to ensure that a lead-free solder paste that is applied to the stencil 50 does not enter into the hole 130. Preferably, W_(A) and H_(A) are as small as allowable to permit good paste transfer and still wet the rim 130 r of the via hole 130.

In FIG. 17 a, the stencil 50 and the substrate 21 are urged into contact with each other and are in alignment A with each other so that the apertures 31 and the shield 33 are positioned over the pad 120 and the hole 130 respectively as was depicted in FIGS. 15 a and 15 b. A blade 69 can be used to apply a lead-free solder paste 60 (paste 60 hereinafter) to the stencil 50 to print the paste 60 only on the second portion 2 p of the pad 120. That is, the shield 33 prevents (i.e. blocks) the paste 60 from entering the hole 130 or from being printed on the first portion 1 p of the pad 120. If the via 100 is a through hole via, then there may be pads 120 on both sides of the substrate 21. However, the paste 60 need only be applied to the pad 120 on a side of the via 100 that the via 100 will be probed from by the arcuate blade probe 10.

In FIG. 17 b, after the paste 60 is printed on the second portion 2 p of the pads 120, the stencil 50 is removed from the substrate 21. After the removing, the paste 60 remains on the second portion 2 p. If the edges 31e of the apertures 31 were aligned with the rim 130 r, then a portion of the paste 60 abuts with a portion of the rim 130 r of the hole 13 as is depicted by the via 100 on a right side of the substrate 21. On the other hand, if the edges 31e were not aligned with the rim 130 r, then the paste 60 can be inset from the rim 130 r as is depicted on the via 100 on a left side of the substrate 21.

Subsequently, heat H is applied to reflow the paste 60. The process of heating a substrate, such as a PCB, for example, to reflow a lead-free solder paste is well understood in the electronics art. Accordingly, the reflowing can be accomplished by heating H the paste 60 and/or the substrate 21. During the reflowing, a flux 61 in the paste 60 drains through the hole 130 and a lead-free solder 62 (solder 62 hereinafter) in the paste 60 wets only a portion of a surface area of the pad 120 and remains on the pad 120. Unlike prior lead-free solder pasting processes where a pad of a via is pasted 1:1 or an entirety of the pad is over pasted (i.e. >1:1) by a lead-free solder paste, the reduced amount of the paste 60 results in a reduced amount of the solder 62 and a reduced amount of the flux 61. Therefore, very little or none of the solder 62 that wets the pad 120 flows into the hole 130. Consequently, the hole 130 is not filled up (i.e. is not plugged up) by the solder 62. Additionally, the reduced amount of the paste 60 also reduces the amount of the flux 61 so that a volume of the flux 61 that flows into the hole 130 during reflow is not sufficient to pool in the hole 130 thereby plugging the hole 130. Therefore, even if a small volume of the solder 62 flows into the hole 130 during the reflowing, that volume of solder 62 will not be sufficient to fill up the hole 130. As a result, the flux 61 that flows into the hole 130 does not have a foundation of solder 62 upon which to pool and the flux 61 does not reside at or near the rim 130 r. Consequently, the hole 130 is not obstructed by the solder 62 or the flux 61 and can be probed during ICT.

In FIG. 17 c, after the reflowing, the solder 62 wets (i.e. covers) and adheres to the pad 120 During the reflowing, depending on how close to the rim 130 r the paste 60 was applied to the pad 120, as the solder 62 wets the pad 120 some of the solder 62 may abut with and partially encircle the rim 130 r. If the paste 60 was inset from the rim 130 r, then after reflowing, the solder may partially encircle the rim 130 r but may not abut with the rim 130 r. Moreover, a remainder of the solder 62 covers a portion of a surface area of the pad 120. That surface area can include some or all of the second portion 2 p and some of the first portion 1 p. Depending on an amount of the paste 60 that is printed on the pad 120, a composition of the paste 60, the pattern 30, and a position of the paste 60 on the pad 120, the solder 62 may extend all the way to the edge 120 e of the pad 120 after the reflowing. The resulting pattern of solder 62 formed on the pad 120 resembles the wings of a butterfly and the solder 62 is symmetrically positioned around the hole 130. Additionally, a surface coating including but not limited to an organic solderability preservative (OSP) may be applied to the pad 120 Typically, the OSP is applied to the pad 120 during the manufacturing of the PCB or PCA and prior to the applying of the paste 60.

h. Probing a Butterfly Pattern of a Lead-Free Solder

In FIG. 18 a, the solder 62 is symmetrically positioned around the hole 130 and on opposite sides of a node axis A_(N) that symmetrically bisects that pad 120 through the first portion 1 p. Preferably, when the via 100 is probed using the arcuate blade probe 10, the edge axis A_(E) of the edge 15 has a preferred orientation A with respect to the node axis A_(N) such that an angle between the edge axis A_(E) and the node axis A_(N) is substantially a right angle (i.e. Δ is 90 degrees). The edge 15 makes the contact C with the solder 62 at a first portion and a second portion. In FIG. 18 a, the probe axis A_(P) and the via axis A_(V) are aligned. However, as was described above in reference to FIG. 13 c, contact between the edge 15 and the solder 62 may still occur at a first portion when the probe axis A_(P) and the via axis A_(V) are not aligned. Moreover, as was described above in reference to FIG. 13 b, when the solder 62 is inset from the rim 130 r, the contact C may occur at the first portion and the second portion.

In FIG. 18 b, even if the probe axis A_(P) and the via axis A_(V) are aligned, the edge 15 may be rotated out of a substantially perpendicular alignment with the node axis A_(N) by an angle Δ₁. For example, the angle Δ₁ can be ∀ 15 degrees from the preferred orientation Δ. However, even when the preferred orientation Δ is not obtained, the edge 15 may contact the solder 62 at a first portion and a second portion.

In FIGS. 19 a through 19 d, depict examples of how the preferred orientation A can be obtained. In FIG. 19 a, the shaft 11 can include a key 11 k and the barrel 72 can include a slot 72 s that complements a shape of the key 11 k. In FIG. 19 b, when the shaft 11 is inserted i into the barrel 72 with the key 11 k aligned with the slot 72 s, the edge axis A_(E) has a set orientation relative to the barrel 72. Preferably, the key 11 k is symmetrically positioned on the shaft 11 so that the shaft 11 moves in the barrel 72 without binding in the cavity 78 as is depicted in FIG. 19 c (i.e. a cross-sectional view along a line I-I of FIG. 19 b).

Similarly, the barrel 72 can include a key 72 k and the receptacle 90 can include a slot 90 s that complements a shape of the key 72 k. When the barrel 72 is inserted into the cavity 92 with the key 72 k aligned with the slot 90 s, the edge axis A_(E) has set orientation relative to the receptacle 90. Moreover, in FIG. 20, if the receptacle 90 is mounted to a test fixture 80 in a proper orientation, then the edge axis A_(E) will have the preferred orientation Δ with respect to the node axis A_(N).

For example, the receptacle 90 can be inserted into a bore 80 a in the test fixture 80 with the structure 98 providing a friction fit between the bore 80 a and the receptacle 90. The receptacle 90 can then be rotated in the bore 80 a to obtain the preferred orientation Δ of the edge axis A_(E). In FIG. 21, a set of pins 82 on the test fixture 80 can be inserted into apertures 22 on the substrate 21 to align A the test fixture 80 with the substrate 21 in preparation for ICT. The alignment A and the mounting of the receptacle 90 in the bore 80 a, also aligns the arcuate blade probe 10 with the via 100 to be probed and positions the edge 15 in the preferred orientation Δ so that the edge axis A_(E) and the node axis A_(N) are substantially perpendicular to each other.

i. Correcting ICT Fixture Manufacturing Defects

The fixed (preferred) orientation of the arcuate blade probe 10 may also be used to correct for probe to target misalignments derived from ICT fixture defects. In this case, a fixed orientation probe may be used to improve contact repeatability with the test pads 120 or vias 100. Furthermore, a fixed orientation probe could also be embodied as non-symmetrical (not shown). In this case, when a shaft is mis-aligned with a node, the preferred orientation, non-symmetrical probe can be used to center the blade over the node. The preferred orientation may also be used to avoid contact with adjacent nodes, traces and components.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed and illustrated, the invention is not limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The invention is only limited by the claims. 

1. An arcuate blade probe for probing a node of a circuit, comprising: a shaft made from an electrically conductive material, the shaft including a pair of faces positioned about a probe axis in facing opposition to each other, the faces converge towards each other along the probe axis at a face angle, the faces terminate at an edge, and the edge including an arcuate profile.
 2. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the edge is operative to make a contact with the node at any portion or portions along the edge when the edge and the node are urged into contact with each other.
 3. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the edge is symmetrically aligned with the probe axis.
 4. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the arcuate profile of the edge comprises a profile comprised of at least one of a portion of a circular profile, a portion of an elliptical profile, a portion of an oval profile, a portion of a curve function.
 5. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the face angle is in a range that allows the edge to penetrate through non-conductive oxides and contaminants on the node.
 6. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shaft includes a portion that tapers in a direction towards the edge.
 7. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portion that tapers includes a profile selected from the group comprising at least one of an arcuate profile, an angular profile, a stepped profile.
 8. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portion that tapers includes a non-circular cross-sectional profile.
 9. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portion that tapers includes a circular cross-sectional profile.
 10. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shaft includes a head and the head includes the pair of faces and the edge, a portion of the head tapers in a direction towards the edge, and the head includes a dimension that is greater than a dimension of the shaft.
 11. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 10, wherein the portion of the head that tapers includes an arcuate profile.
 12. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shaft further comprises: a plunger body including a dimension that is less than a dimension of the shaft and a plunger tail connected with the plunger body.
 13. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 12 and further comprising: a barrel including a cavity adapted to receive the shaft; a spring positioned in the cavity; a means for retaining the shaft in the cavity; and a means to allow the plunger to move within the barrel while maintaining contact with the spring as the spring compresses and expands according to the shaft movement.
 14. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 13, wherein the means for retaining the shaft in the cavity comprises a crimp in the barrel and the crimp is in contact with the plunger tail and is operative to retain the shaft in the barrel with the spring compressed and in contact with the plunger tail.
 15. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 13 and further comprising: a means for aligning the barrel and the shaft with each other so that the edge is disposed in a preferred orientation when the shaft is positioned in the barrel.
 16. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 15, wherein the preferred orientation is set relative to an axis of the node to be probed by the edge.
 17. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 15, wherein the preferred orientation balances the edge the arcuate blade over the node.
 18. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 17, wherein if the shaft is mis-aligned with the node, a preferred orientation, non-symmetrical probe is used to center the blade over the node.
 19. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 15, wherein the preferred orientation is used to avoid contact with adjacent components and traces.
 20. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 13 and further comprising: a receptacle adapted to be connected with a test fixture, the receptacle including a cavity adapted to receive the barrel.
 21. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 19 and further comprising: a means for aligning the barrel and the receptacle with each other so that the edge is disposed in a preferred orientation when the barrel is positioned in the receptacle.
 22. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 19, wherein the preferred orientation is substantially a right angle relative to an axis of the node to be probed by the edge.
 23. An arcuate blade probe for probing a node of a circuit, comprising: a shaft made from an electrically conductive material, the shaft including a pair of faces positioned about a probe axis in facing opposition to each other, the faces converge towards each other along the probe axis at a face angle, the faces terminate at an edge, the edge including an arcuate profile, wherein the edge is operative to make a contact with the node at any portion or portions along the edge when the edge and the node are urged into contact with each other, and wherein the arcuate profile of the edge comprises a profile comprised of at least one of a portion of a circular profile, a portion of an elliptical profile, a portion of an oval profile, a portion of a curved function.
 24. The arcuate blade probe as set forth in claim 22, wherein the edge makes contact with the node in a preferred orientation. 